Popular culinary talent and internet sensation, Damilola Adeparusi, widely known as Chef Dammy, has refuted claims that she is planning to cook the largest pot of beans, following Celebrity Chef Hilda Baci’s recent achievement of preparing the largest serving of jollof rice.

Chef Dammy, who is currently on a full scholarship at the Hospitality Business School in Lagos, where she is pursuing a professional culinary diploma, addressed the speculation in a video shared on social media on Wednesday. She clarified that she has no such plans.

“I’d like to send a very big congratulations to Ms. Hilda for the just completed project of cooking the biggest pot of jollof rice to feed thousands. Congratulations to Nigeria as a whole too, because this is a win for everybody in Nigeria and all African countries,” Chef Dammy said.

Responding to the rumour about the beans project, she added, “So, I’m actually making this video because people have been asking me, like, do you want to cook again? Some of my classmates are still telling me that, ‘Dammy, do you truly want to cook beans?’ Like, no! Why would I do that?”

The Ekiti-born chef, who rose to fame after her 2023 cook-a-thon attempt, also expressed gratitude to those who have continued to support her journey.

“I would just like to say thank you to everybody that has been supporting me, to everybody that has been fighting on my behalf online, to my school mothers, to everybody, and to everyone who has contributed to my growth and promotion, including those supporting me financially,” she said.

In a past interview, Chef Dammy revealed that she never anticipated her cook-a-thon would gain massive attention. She admitted that the backlash and online bullying that followed left her emotionally drained.

“Even the cook-a-thon, I didn’t know it was going to be viral. I didn’t even tell my parents about it; they just saw me. I was shocked to see myself on social media,” she recalled.